The question of whether or not teaching is a true profession has greatly concerned educators

for decades. Some have tried to identify the ideal characteristics of professions and, by rating
teachers on these items, determine whether teaching is a profession. The following are
characteristics of a full profession, based on the works of noted authorities during the latter
half of the twentieth century.
1
1. A sense of public service; a lifetime commitment to career
. A defined body of knowledge and skills beyond that grasped by laypeople
!. A lengthy period of speciali"ed training
#. $ontrol over licensing standards and%or entry requirements
&. Autonomy in making decisions about selected spheres of work
'. An acceptance of responsibility for (udgments made and acts performed related to
services rendered; a set of performance standards
). A self*governing organi"ation composed of members of the profession
+. ,rofessional associations and%or elite groups to provide recognition for individual
achievements
-. A code of ethics to help clarify ambiguous matters or doubtful points related to
services rendered
1.. /igh prestige and economic standing
$ritics claim that teaching is not a profession in the fullest sense because it lacks some of
the previously listed characteristics, but it may be viewed as a 0semi*profession0 or an
0emerging profession0 in the process of achieving these characteristics. Several sociologists contend
that nursing and social work are also semi*professions.
1n particular, teaching seems to lag behind professions such as law and medi cine in four important areas2 314 a denned
body of knowledge and skills beyond that grasped by laypeople, 34 control over licensing standards and%or entry require *
ments, 3!4 autonomy in making decisions about selected work spheres, and 3#4 high prestige and economic standing. 1n the
following sections, we e5plore these four aspects of teaching.
A Defined Body of Knowledge
All professions have a monopoly on certain knowledge that separates their members from the
general public and allows them to e5ercise control over the vocation. 6embers of the
profession establish their e5pertise by mastering this defined body of knowledge, and they
protect the public from untrained amateurs by denying membership to those who have not
mastered it. 1n the past, 0education0 or 0teaching0 has established no agreed*upon, speciali"ed
body of knowledge.7 8or has teaching been guided by the e5tensive rules of procedure and
established methodologies found in professions such as medicine or engineering. As a result,
too many people, especially the lay public, talk about education as if they were e5perts9the
cause of much conflicting and sometimes negative conversation.
#
A developing body of knowledge also allows teacher*education course content to vary from state to state and even
among teacher*training institutions within a given state. Teacher preparation usually consists of three ma(or components2 314
liberal 3or general4 education, 34 speciali"ed sub(ect*field education9the student7s ma(or or minor, and 3!4 professional
education. Almost all educators agree that preparing good teachers rests on these three components. Arguments arise,
however, over the relative emphasis that each component should receive. /ow much course work, for e5ample, should the
education program require from liberal*education courses versus courses in a speciali"ed sub(ect field and professional
education: ;iewpoints also differ concerning the e5tent to which clinical e5perience, which emphasi"es practice in actual
school settings, should be incorporated in professional education courses. Thus, your teacher*education program may differ
from one at another college or university.
&
1n the 1-'.s, <ames =oerncer and <ames >ryant $onant described the problem further in highly critical books,
and their criticism from several decades ago can still be heard today. =oerner argued that by requiring too many education
courses9as many as si5ty hours at